Academic Staff at Higher Education Institutions in Germany

How many professors are there in Germany?

According to the German Federal Statistical Office, there were 51,873 professors in Germany in 2023. Most professors are paid according to salary group W2 (45.1%), followed by salary group W3 (28.7%). As the figure below shows, the number of professors increased between 2016 and 2023. The proportion of professors in the W salary group increases continuously over time, as professors in the old C2 to C4 salary groups gradually retire and newly appointed professors are classified in the W-groups.

How many further academic staff members are there at higher education institutions in Germany?

In 2023, there were 214,879 (non-professoral) academic and artistic staff at German higher education institutions. Their number rose continuously from 2016 to 2023: In 2016, there were only 182,129 academic and artistic staff at Germany's universities.

How high is the proportion of women among professors and further academic staff?

In 2023, only 28.8 per cent of professors in Germany were female. There are also more men than women among futher academic (and artistic) staff. Currently, 45.5 per cent of futher academic and artistic staff are female. This means that women are still less frequently represented among university staff in Germany than men.

However, the following chart shows that there is also a trend towards a higher proportion of women among university staff. The proportion of women among both professors and futher academic and artistic staff has risen since 2016.